The road back to Rio: USD1 billlion CGIAR work agenda presented for a food-secure future

Donut diagram by Oxfam’s Kate Raworth illustrating a safe and just space for humanity, inspired by Rockström’s 2009 diagram of nine planetary boundaries constituting an environmental ceiling, or ‘a safe operating space for humanity’ (source: ‘Can we live inside the doughnut?‘).

SciDevNet this week reports that ‘Beginning in 2013, CGIAR will pump an extra $US 1 billion a year into agricultural research.

‘The CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers has formally presented its new US$5 billion research portfolio at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).

‘The CGIAR is a global network of research centres working to help foster food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable natural resource management.

‘In 2009, the consortium—which was formerly known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research—announced it would radically reform its research activities and focus donor funding on 15 research programmes to enable better collation and integration of global research.

‘Its first research program was launched in late 2010, followed in mid-2011 by another ten programmes, and the remaining four a few months later.

‘All 15 had their official Launch in Rio de Janeiro yesterday at the 4th Agriculture and Rural Development Day, which was hosted by CGIAR and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). . . .

‘Funding will be provided by the governments of 60 countries, and organisations including the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. . . . .’